Immigration

Studies in the United States and those comparing voter turnout in different countries conclude that voters' level of education influences their likelihood of voting when they are required to register. A Wisconsin study summarizesthat, "In study after study conducted over the last five decades, researchers find a robust relationship between individuals’ levels of education and their likelihood of voting."

"While only 51% of those with a junior high education reported that they had voted in the 2004 presidential election, 92% of the college educated did so" (Lewis-Beck et al. 2008, 102). One of the reasons that researchers mention for this gap in voter turnout is that education makes it easier to navigate voter registration requirements and other obstacles to voting

A comparison across countries also found that the educational gap in voter turnout is greatly reduced when ballots are simple and voter registration is done by the state rather than initiated by the voter. The United States where almost all states require the voter to initiate registration had the largest gap between those with more and those with less education.

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MN's Leading Election System

With Secretary of State Steve Simon

Listen to Secretary of State Steve Simon's excellent presentation on MN's outstanding election system emulated by many other states at the Think Again Brooklyns forum January 19, 2016. Secretary Simon includes ways in which it can be improved, and he explains why it is important to vote. He concludes with a quote from a tee shirt: "Failure to vote is not an act of rebellion. It is an act of surrender."

In January, Oregon became the first state in the country to begin automatically registering eligible citizens to vote when they obtain or renew their driver's licenses or state IDs, completely shifting the burden of voter registration from the individual to the government.